But happiness is much more than money. It's being healthy, free from pain, being able to take care of yourself. It's having good times with friends and family.

Furthermore, happiness means being able to speak what's on your mind without fear, to worship the God of your choosing, and to feel safe and secure in your own home.

Happiness means having opportunity--to get an education, to be an entrepreneur. What's more satisfying than having a big idea and turning it into a thriving business, knowing all the way that the harder you work, the more reward you can expect?

With this in mind, five years ago researchers at the Legatum Institute, a London-based nonpartisan think tank, set out to rank the happiest countries in the world. But because "happy" carries too much of a touchy-feely connotation, they call it "prosperity."

To build its index Legatum gathers upward of a dozen international surveys done by the likes of the Gallup polling group, the Heritage Foundation and the World Economic Forum. Each country is ranked on 89 variables sorted into eight subsections: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital.

The core conceit: Prosperity is complex; achieving it relies on a confluence of factors that build on each other in a virtuous circle.

Ultimately how happy you are depends on how happy you've been. If you're already rich, like Scandinavia, then more freedom, security and health would add the most to happiness. For the likes of China and India (ranked 88th), it's more a case of "show me the money." What they want most of all? The opportunity to prove to themselves that money doesn't buy happiness.

New Zealanders enjoy very high levels of social cohesion and a first-place ranking in education.

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No. 5: New Zealand

With very high levels of social cohesion and a first-place ranking in education, New Zealanders trust and help each other. The country ranks first in civil liberties. Ninety-four percent found the beauty of their physical environment satisfying (the other 6% must be blind).

Citizens of Australia trust their government.

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No. 4: Australia

Excellent education, strong personal freedoms, a tight-knit society. Australia's economy is strong, led by raw materials exports, but it's also a good place to start a business, with plentiful Internet connectivity and low startup costs. Aussies trust their government.

Low business startup costs give the Finns economic strength.

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No. 3: Finland

Excellent education, universal health care, plentiful personal freedoms, trusted government, peaceful. Lots of R&D and low business startup costs give the Finns economic strength. But as is to be expected in a country with the highest redistribution of wealth, only 75% of Finns believe working hard will help them get ahead.

Denmark reports the highest standard of living in the world.

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No. 2: Denmark

The world's lowest business startup costs, excellent education, unrestricted civil freedoms. Danes have overwhelming faith in their government and in each other, and report the highest standard of living in the world.

No. 1: Norway

The world's highest per-capita GDP at $53,000 a year. Spending on health care is second-highest after the U.S. An unparalleled 74% of Norwegians say other people can be trusted, 94% are happy with the beauty of their environment, and a very high 93% believe hard work will help them get ahead in life. Having a lot of oil and gas reserves helps.

Monday, January 17, 2011

There are several reasons why it may be a good idea to turn off your computer at night. For some, it may not matter whether the computer is on or off. Most newer computers have a sleep mode when they are inactive which doesn't use much power. However, in businesses or at home, it may be wise to turn off the computer at night for security reasons.

For example, computers connected to the Internet via DSL or cable modem are vulnerable to hacking if they are still connected. You can either turn off the connection or turn off the computer. You may need to keep the computer turned on, conversely, if the computer is used as a fax machine as well.

However, if you work from home and log into a business, you should definitely turn off the computer at night, or at the very least, log out from the business. Not only does leaving the computer on threaten the security of your personal computer, but it could also give hackers entry to your business.

Sleep mode on computers still uses some electricity, and the most economic thing to do is to turn off the computer at night, especially if you're is penny pinching. Saving electricity also has environmental benefits. Older computers may not have the sleep feature, so if you have an older computer you might want to turn it off to save money. Obviously, laptops, which run on a battery, will have a longer battery life if they are turned off when not in use.

You may turn off the computer out of the common misconception that this will protect the computer from power surges. Actually, this is not the case. Even when people turn off their computer, the computer is still vulnerable to power surges if it's not hooked up to a surge protector. Be sure to purchase a good surge protector and do not skimp on money in this case. Find a well rated one that will protect your computer whether off or on from power surges.

Some computer experts suggest that certain programs benefit from getting a break at night, like Windows®. Turning off the computer at night may help eliminate crashes during the day, since the program is rebooted when the computer is turned on again in the morning.

If you aren't concerned about money, computer security, and crashes, then you don't have to turn off the computer at night. But, since at least one of these issues is usually a concern, you might want to turn off your computer at night.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

I would like to share with you what Hiam Ginott said about being a teacher, or the "power" of a teacher, rather:

"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my personal approach that creates the climate. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a student's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a student humanized or de-humanized. "

This week's surprisingly good news that companies went on a hiring spree in December is sure to raise the spirits of the unemployed, underemployed, and everyone else eager to make a move. And if you're in the market for a new job, CareerCast's just-released 2011 rankings of the best and worst jobs is a useful cheat sheet for where to focus your hunt. CareerCast ranks 200 jobs from best to worst based on five broad metrics: Physical Demands, Work Environment, Income, Outlook (Job Growth), and Stress. Here are the overall winners based on their cumulative ratings:

Software engineer landed the top spot on the strength of strong scores for job outlook (5th overall out of 200 jobs rated), work environment (5th), physical demands (12th), stress (15th), and income (23rd). The mid-level income for software engineers was a none-too-shabby $87,000, but that was second to mathematicians among the top 10 overall jobs (the mid-level income for mathematicians was $94,000).

For comparison's sake, here's the list of the jobs that were at the bottom of the list:

The Best Jobs list is not simply a ranking of the most lucrative jobs. You need to head to medical school for that. Doctors of all specialties consistently scored mid-level salaries in the six figures. But a high-stress work environment tended to pull down their overall scores. For example, surgeons had a mid-level income of more than $365,000 and a strong hiring outlook, but poor scores for work environment and stress pushed their overall rank on the list to 101.

The list of the best jobs for 2011 was pretty consistent with CareerCast's best rated jobs for 2010. Eight of last year's Top 10 repeated again this year, with only paralegal and accountant falling off the list, though barely.

2010 Best Jobs
Actuary
Software engineer
Computer systems analyst
Biologist
Historian
Mathematician
Paralegal (13th in 2011)
Statistician
Accountant (12th in 2011)
Dental hygienist
Potential regulation of the insurance industry added to the stress score for actuary in 2011, pushing that low-visibility career from its top slot in 2010 to a still impressive #3 on this year's list.
It's a left-brain job market....

Clearly, math, science, and technology skills are the ticket into the highest-rated jobs; the job outlook for tech jobs is a main driver of their high ranking. CareerCast notes that demand for smartphone apps, the growth of cloud computing, and the seemingly inexorable pursuit of computer-based business systems are why software engineer, computer systems analyst, technical writer, and computer programmer all land in the Top 30. That said, while computer programmer had a strong overall score (27th), it's not expected to be easy pickings for job seekers in that field in the coming years (the survey uses Bureau of Labor Statistic job growth forecasts). Not that computer programmers won't be in demand in the future, but more of those jobs are expected to be outsourced to other parts of the world.

...But career success still requires a whole-brain approach
If you're a high school student staring at the best jobs list - or the parent who is soon to be paying the bill for college - it would be natural and entirely reasonable to assume the "smart" majors are in the tech and math fields. And there's obviously nothing wrong with those choices if that's what you're passionate about. But zeroing in on a specific skill isn't necessarily the ticket to career success.

Nobel-laureate Gary Becker, a pioneer in the field of human capital, told MoneyWatch that flexibility is one of the most important job skills for navigating the 21st century economy and job market. His advice for acquiring that flexibility?

A liberal arts education. I wrote about this 40 years ago, but I think it's become even more important today. In an uncertain world, where you don't know what the economic situation will be like 20 years from now, you want an education based on general principles rather than on specific skills.
Sure, at some point you need to pick up specific skills as well, but Becker's advice makes sense. Starting with a broad-based education builds a solid foundation that should help you adapt to an evolving economy that just might produce a radically different Top 10 best jobs list in the future.

Make Money in 2011: Your Job

by Anne C. Lee, Staff Reporter

Monday, December 27, 2010

If you've made it this far into the toughest job market in decades without being laid off, chances are you're out of the danger zone.
"While businesses may not be hiring a whole lot next year, they won't be firing a whole lot either," says economist Joel Naroff.

Most economists agree that the worst is behind us, and that new job creation will pick up modestly as the year wears on. But worries about the slowpoke economy and the possibility of a double dip will keep companies from adding enough positions to make a serious dent in joblessness.

The consensus among 46 forecasters recently surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics is that the unemployment rate will end 2011 around 9.2%, from 9.6% now. It'll take another six years for unemployment to get back to pre-recession levels, according to estimates by the Congressional Budget Office.
Still, if you're a valued employee, the outlook is much brighter, as employers will focus on retaining and developing top talent rather than new hiring.
"Raises are back and for good reason," says Catherine Hartmann, a principal with Mercer's rewards consulting business. "The risk of losing key employees is top of mind as the economy recovers."
Nearly all companies intend to increase salaries this year -- by an average of 3%, according to Buck Consultants -- and to reward the best and the brightest with pay hikes nearly double the going rate. More employees can look forward to bonuses, too, with the amounts awarded going up.

Meanwhile, the draconian cost-cutting measures adopted during the downturn are becoming history: Nearly all companies that slashed their 401(k) match say they will have restored all or a portion of it by next summer, according to Towers Watson. Salary freezes are fading fast too, the Buck survey found.
If you're among the 14.8 million Americans who are still unemployed, however, 2011 continues to look bleak, but not hopeless. Though little new hiring is planned for the first half, openings should expand later in the year -- as long as the economy encounters no major hiccups.

Wildcard: A double-dip recession would put the brakes on any gains, says California State University Channel Islands economist Sung Won Sohn. Mass layoffs won't necessarily return, but raises and bonuses could suffer.

What to Watch: Track the monthly jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics at bls.gov. The forecasted pickup of 153,000 jobs a month on average (fewer than 150,000 early in 2011, as many as 175,000 late in the year) should bring the unemployment rate down to 9.2% by the end of 2011.

Action Plan1: Angle for that promotion. Tired of meekly accepting skimpy raises (or none at all) because you're grateful just to keep your job? If you're a valued employee, this is the year to press for more.
"Employers will be looking more than ever to differentiate between star performers and people who are contributing, but not at a high level," says New York City executive coach Alicia Whitaker.

Up to half of companies that are changing how and when they award raises have reallocated merit funds to give more to top performers than regular Joes and Janes; less than 10% used this strategy a year ago, according to Buck.
And as always, the best way to earn a big raise is to get promoted. Those pay bumps are budgeted for about 7% on average -- vs. 3% for the usual merit raise.
How to get ahead in this environment? Schedule separate meetings with your boss and a mentor to discuss your prospects for advancement. Be prepared to outline noteworthy accomplishments that helped the company (especially if they added to the bottom line) and specific contributions you hope to make in the future. And make the moves that follow.
Develop a new expertise. In planning compensation for next year, employers say "specialized industry knowledge" is the top reason they'll offer a bonus.
"People could become obsolete very quickly if they don't keep learning," says Whitaker. If you work in health care, make yourself familiar with the health care overhaul.
In finance, a deep knowledge of how the new reforms apply to your product could set you apart. Master the latest in your industry, whether it's technology solutions or marketing tools, even if your company has yet to adopt them.

Action Plan2: Toot your own horn. Keep a portfolio of your best work to bring to your annual review, including testimonials like thank-you notes from colleagues or clients. "A lot of people think only artists have portfolios," says Laurence Shatkin, author of 2011 Career Plan, "but anyone can develop one."

Action Plan3: Raise your visibility in-house. Make yourself known as an expert by sharing links to news about your field with your colleagues, posting insights to industry groups on LinkedIn, or volunteering to write for your company intranet or newsletter, says social-media strategist Diane Crompton. "It shows that you're relevant and up-to-date," she adds.

Action Plan 4: Nurture your network. Networking isn't just for job hunting. Tapping your well-oiled web of contacts to fill job openings at your company could impress your boss too, especially if you prove you have a good eye for talent. What's more, helping others means your contacts will be primed to help you down the road.

Thank you for your "long" email . At least you were more eloquent this time, a trait which I think is necessary for an educator. Didn't know that you are a teacher yourself. Welcome to the world of education. For me, it's one, if not the, richest world that I have been, and still are, a world that is immensely satisfying and rewarding.

But again it depends on how we approach our life. Remember I gave that quote"We should like what we do, and not do what we like"?I read somewhere that the best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. And Carol Buchner did say this of students. "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." I do believe, as teachers, or a better word, as educators, we should make our students remember us in a good light.

There are times when, as Aristotle said "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet". As for the emails, I'm not disappointed or sad at all. That student was being candid with me. Can't blame that student though. I think I have taken much of people's ever busy time. I'm sure the class are not used to receiving my kind of emails, or emails at all, from other lecturers .

I would like to share with you what Hiam Ginott said about being a teacher, or the "power" of a teacher, rather:

"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my personal approach that creates the climate. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a student's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a student humanized or de-humanized. "